Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled Friday to temporarily block the Trump administration from rapidly deporting migrants who entered the country legally through humanitarian programs, pending a final ruling on a lawsuit filed by the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights and other civic groups.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has been trying to get as many illegal immigrants back on their own soil as possible, which requires expedited deportations because of the millions his predecessor, Joe Biden, let in.
The case has shown a contrast between two vastly differing views on immigration.
Trump and conservatives want the border to be respected and laws to be followed. Having millions of illegal immigrants and temporary migrants in the country is causing chaos and costing taxpayers billions of dollars every year.
They ask how illegal immigrants can have rights to be in the country, and if they don't, they favor getting them out ASAP.
On the other hand, Democrats believe migrants should have the same rights as citizens even though they broke the law to come into the U.S.
However, even migrants who entered through these humanitarian programs would have entered the country illegally by crossing the border if the programs didn't exist.
Trump ended the humanitarian migration program for those coming from some Latin American countries--namely Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela--and the Supreme Court upheld his right to do so. The end of CHNV parole means that migrants who entered under that program are now illegal immigrants, and the Trump administration has every right to deport them.
The Trump DOJ was apparently summoning migrants to court and dismissing charges against them, with ICE agents outside the courtroom waiting to detain them for deportation.
Cobb's rationale for the order was snotty and partisan--no surprise coming from a Biden appointee.
"This case's underlying question, then, asks whether parolees who escaped oppression will have the chance to plead their case within a system of rules. Or, alternatively, will they be summarily removed from a country that -- as they are swept up at checkpoints and outside courtrooms, often by plainclothes officers -- may look to them more and more like the countries from which they tried to escape," Cobb wrote.
What about a system of rules that doesn't just legalize mass illegal migration rather than try to stop it?
Trump wants to see the mass chaos of immigration under Biden brought back under control so that we are not overrun by potentially billions of migrants who want to leave their countries of origin for what they see as the Promised Land--the U.S.
Democrats prefer the chaos because it gives them more leverage to expand social programs and eventually, gain enough new voters to ensure they remain in power forever.
The last several weeks have been replete with revelations about the efforts of prior administrations to undermine Donald Trump, both while a candidate and as president.
Now, several veterans of Trump’s first term in the White House have stepped forward to claim that they were informed by Google that they had been under investigation by the Biden FBI, a disclosure the company was previously prevented by court order from making, as Fox News reports.
Details of the scrutiny faced by members of Trump’s first administration emerged on Friday in a post on X from Dan Scavino, who now serves as White House deputy chief of staff.
Scavino explained that he had been “proudly and patriotically serving in the first Trump White House” but, upon departing in January 2021, was targeted by what he called “Biden lawfare.”
The high-level Trump aide noted that five weeks before returning to the White House for the president’s second term, he received a troubling email from tech giant Google.
That message said, “Google received and responded to legal process issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation compelling the release of information related to your Google account.”
It continued, “A court order previously prohibited Google from notifying you of the legal process… .”
Scavino made the situation public last week, in an effort to underscore what he said was a “small taste of the INSANITY that many of us went through – right here in the United States of America. LAWFARE at its finest. A Complete and Total Disgrace!!!!”
Soon after Scavino recounted the story on X, current FBI Director Kash Patel posted in response, writing, “I got one of those too… .”
Another former -- and current -- Trump official, Jeff Clark, chimed in as well, saying that he also received the notification from Google, noting, “Indeed, a whole [former special counsel] Jack Smith team was assigned to go through my emails after there was a privilege review.”
Clark lamented the expansive scope of the probe, adding, “But that group of lawyers ignored my religious pastor privilege, and other privileges and basically shipped all they could to Jack Smith.
Echoing the financial and personal ramifications of Democrat lawfare of which so many Trump allies -- such as Carter Page -- in recent years have complained, Clark added, “But it still cost me tens of thousands to try to protect my communications” and blasted “thugs with law degrees” who ignored the fact that “medical records and other private communications had nothing to do with the 2020 election. They were no one’s business.”
With so many now calling for accountability for perpetrators of the Russia collusion hoax and the related lawfare to which Scavino and others have brought renewed attention, the pressure is on the Justice Department to produce results, and it remains to be seen whether any indictments are on the horizon.
For now, however, some of those victimized during the Biden years can perhaps take a small degree of solace in the recent announcement that the Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, has launched a probe of Jack Smith for potential violations of the Hatch Act, a statute designed to limit political activities of federal employees.
U.S. Track and Field superstar Sha'Carri Richardson, an Olympic gold medalist, may be faster than most of her competition, but she can't outrun the law.
Richardson was arrested last Sunday and charged with domestic violence following an altercation with her boyfriend at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, USA Today reported.
The arrest and criminal charge is just the latest career blemish for the world champion sprinter, who was infamously disqualified from competing in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games, which she was heavily favored to win, after she tested positive for marijuana use.
The Associated Press reported that, according to a copy of the police report, the 25-year-old track star Richardson was arrested Sunday evening at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and spent the night at the South Correctional Entity in Des Moines, Washington, before she was eventually released shortly after noon on Monday.
Per the report, a Transportation Security Administration supervisor notified local police to the situation after they witnessed Richardson in a prolonged verbal and physical altercation with her boyfriend, fellow sprinter Christian Coleman, after they passed through a TSA checkpoint.
A responding officer reviewed surveillance camera footage and similarly observed Richardson making repeated physical contact with Coleman, including yanking his backpack and shoving him into a nearby column. She is said to have continued to make physical contact with Coleman and get in his way even as he repeatedly attempted to walk around and away from her.
Richardson also reportedly threw a set of headphones at Coleman, who later told officers that he "did not want to participate any further in the investigation and declined to be a victim."
In response to questions about the arrest, the U.S.A. Track and Field organization said that it "is aware of the reports and is not commenting on this matter."
Richardson's arrest for domestic violence last Sunday did not stop her from competing this week at the U.S. Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, according to AFP.
The 100m world champion was on the track on Thursday for preliminary heat races and advanced to the semifinals round on Friday, but later withdrew herself from contention for the finals.
She remains automatically qualified for the upcoming World Championship event in September in Japan, however, given her status as the current defending world champ.
USATF said that Richardson still intends to compete in Sunday's 200m event, though, after initially withdrawing from and then reentering that race.
USA Today noted that Richardson, after missing the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games because of the positive marijuana test, returned to the world stage with a vengeance and something to prove in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where she earned a silver medal in the 100m along with a gold medal as part of Team USA's 4x100m relay squad.
According to the AP, she also won the 100m event at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan attempted to block Admiral Daryl Caudle's confirmation as Chief of Naval Operations to try to strong-arm the Pentagon to reopen the state's Adak Naval Air Station, Just the News reported. Sullivan eventually caved, allowing Caudle to be confirmed on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved Caudle in a vote that should have secured an easy confirmation for him. The position was left vacant after President Donald Trump's administration removed then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti from her post in February.
However, Sullivan held out on the final confirmation, stating that he would do so until the Pentagon agreed to reopen the strategic Naval base located on the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. The base has been closed since 1997, but Sullivan is sounding the alarm that it's a vital stronghold to protect Alaska from China and Russia.
This is not the first time Sullivan has used such tactics in an attempt to convince the Pentagon to go his way. In 2020, Sullivan blocked Pentagon nominees during then-President Joe Biden's administration, including Gen. C.Q. Brown’s promotion to Air Force chief of staff.
The Alaskan senator's urgings about the importance of reopening the Naval base hold more weight, considering Russian war planes have been performing exercises just off the coast of Alaska in recent weeks. While speaking on Fox News' Faulkner Focus on Thursday, Sullivan shared how Russian aircraft have recently been spotted near American airspace.
"The Russians have been very aggressive. You know, Billy Mitchell, the father of the US Air Force, called Alaska the most strategic place in the world," Sullivan continued.
"Well, our adversaries know that, which is why they're testing us up there. And we've even had joint Russian naval task forces in our waters and joint Russian strategic bomber task forces in our airspace," Sullivan went on. The lawmaker later explained that Trump is pouring money into military infrastructure in Alaska, including a possible American version of a Golden Dome anti-missile system to protect against attacks from Russia and China.
"We have the technology. We have the ability with a great military, and now with presidential leadership. That's why Russia and China are so scared of this, and I think when they speak out against it, it shows that we're on target," Sullivan said.
After initially holding out, Sullivan later changed his mind after speaking with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday. "Sen. Sullivan had a very constructive conversation with the secretary of Defense, with whom he has a strong relationship," said his spokesperson, Amanda Coyne, in a statement.
"After the conversation, Sen. Sullivan lifted his hold on Adm. Caudle," Coyne added. While Sullivan didn't receive any formal concessions, the White House said in a statement that Trump has "repeatedly stressed the importance of the Senate quickly confirming all of his nominees," suggesting the president was fuming and his intolerance for the gesture swayed Sullivan's acquiescence.
Still, it doesn't seem Sullivan will abandon his advocacy for the military base any time soon, even if Trump wasn't happy with his tactics. According to the Washington Examiner, the lawmaker was banging the drum about the Naval base as recently as May.
"This is part of a broader strategic repository that our military needs to really think hard about, and in the Indo-Pacific, to be honest, their strategic thinking has been lazy," Sullivan said. The base at one time had as many as 90,000 troops in the Aleutian Islands during World War II and was instrumental in an offensive attack against Japanese-held Kiska and Attu islands in 1943.
Holding up the appointment of personnel is not the best tactic for getting things done, and Sullivan was correct in giving up. However, it's clear that the current threats to the U.S. are best addressed from Alaska.
Two former White House aides testified about then-President Joe Biden's mental decline in front of the GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform this week, Breitbart reported. Former Biden counselor Steve Ricchetti and former senior adviser Mike Donilon have agreed to appear before the committee voluntarily.
The committee, headed by Rep. James Comer (R-KY), is investigating whether there was a concerted effort to keep Biden's cognitive problems under wraps. Now that he's left office, Democrats are stunned that journalists are willing to admit what they saw and how Biden's staffers closed ranks to protect him.
If his problems were this obvious to the public, it's nearly impossible for his closest advisers to deny that they knew what was happening. The committee has called some of them as witnesses, but has had a hard time getting them to testify, including Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who was the White House physician under Biden.
The committee was forced to subpoena O'Connor to get him to speak about Biden's condition. Others, including Biden's former special assistant, Annie Tomasini, and first lady Jill Biden's former senior advisor, Anthony Bernal, have asserted their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. Meanwhile, Biden's former chief of staff, Ron Klain, said that the president was mentally sharp during his time in the White House.
During his testimony Wednesday, Ricchetti claimed that Biden was "fully capable of exercising his presidential duties" while in office, The Hill reported. The news outlet had obtained prepared remarks Ricchetti used for his transcribed interview with the committee. Ricchetti seemed to deny the obvious fact that Biden was deteriorating in front of everyone's eyes.
"Let me be clear: At all times during his presidency, I believed that President Biden was fully capable of exercising his Presidential duties and responsibilities, and that he did so. Neither I, nor anyone else, usurped President Biden’s constitutional duties, which he faithfully and fully carried out each and every day," Ricchetti claimed, according to the transcription.
The former counselor to Biden said there was "certainly no conspiracy to hide the President’s mental condition from the American people" and that he was "not aware of any effort by any member of the White House staff to usurp the President’s authority to make decisions or to sign important documents without his knowledge." Ricchetti did concede that Biden had some problems but minimized their impact.
"Did he stumble? Occasionally. Make mistakes? Get up on the wrong side of the bed? He did — we all did. But I always believed — every day — that he had the capability, character, and judgment to be president of the United States," Ricchetti claimed.
Predictably, Ricchetti railed against Republicans for orchestrating a witch hunt. He claimed the committee's investigation "is part of a concerted effort by the Administration and its congressional allies to diminish the record of the former president by advancing the false narrative that President Biden was mentally unable to perform his constitutional duties and that members of his staff usurped the president’s Article 2 powers."
According to Fox News, Donilon was expected to appear before the committee after arriving on Thursday morning. In the past, Donilon defended Biden, including his campaign-ending debate performance in July 2024. "Now, lots of people have terrible debates," Donilon said at the time.
"Lots of people have terrible debates. Usually, the party doesn't lose its mind, but that's what happened here. It melted down," Donilon claimed. Biden stepped down from the presidential race shortly after the botched debate, where he appeared confused, tired, and unable to string together coherent thoughts.
This defense drew criticism even from rabid leftists like David Axelrod, a CNN contributor and former Obama adviser. Axelrod shared the clip of Donilon's remarks defending Biden at a Harvard University event, which he simply captioned, "Delusional."
Delusional https://t.co/7zWQ7liINN
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) February 22, 2025
Biden's mental deterioration was increasingly difficult to hide, even before the debate performance that caused the problem to become undeniable. Still, all of the people who were around Biden shielded him and continue to do so even after the truth is stunningly apparent.
President Donald Trump's Justice Department has filed a misconduct complaint against U.S. District Judge James Boasberg for allegedly trying to "improperly influence Chief Justice Roberts," Fox News reported. Attorney General Pam Bondi filed the complaint Monday, which was signed by Chad Mizelle, her chief of staff.
Boasberg has long been a thorn in Trump's side as he and other judges have thwarted the president's agenda with nationwide injunctions. However, it was Boasberg's conduct during the meeting of the Judicial Conference of the United States in March that initiated the legal action from the Justice Department.
The complaint said that Boasberg reached out to Roberts and others, claiming that Trump and his administration "disregard rulings of federal courts," which risks triggering "a constitutional crisis." They believe this was an attempt to "improperly prejudice or influence" Roberts and that it "undermined the integrity and impartiality of the federal judiciary."
The remedy suggested in the complaint was to take Boasberg off the J.G.G. v. Trump case, which involves the deportation of hundreds of illegal immigrants to El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison. Trump used the 1798 wartime immigration law, the Alien Enemies Act, to justify it, and the ACLU and others sued the administration over it.
Just days after Boasberg allegedly made those remarks to Roberts, the judge imposed a temporary restraining order on Trump's use of the law to send Venezuelan nationals deported from the U.S. to El Salvador. Planes set to take off for the prison were ordered to "immediately" return to the U.S.
Despite the order, it reportedly did not happen exactly as Boasberg commanded, and an investigation was launched to determine whether the Trump administration flouted those orders. In April, Boasberg also allowed a contempt charge to proceed based on the fact that the order wasn't followed directly, though a higher appeals court eventually stayed that action.
The judge's actions opened the door to a slew of other challenges to deportations, and the Supreme Court ruled against Trump on two of them, finding that such expedited removals violated the constitutional rights of the illegal immigrants. This continued a pattern of lower courts blocking Trump's policies nationwide in these matters.
The Trump administration excoriated Boasberg and others whom White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called "radical left-wing judge," though Boasberg was appointed by then-President George W. Bush as associate judge of the District of Columbia Superior Court in 2002. Still, Trump maintains that "troublemaker and agitator" Boasberg should be impeached for his actions.
Roberts publicly chided the president for making this call, which is an unusual move for the justice. It also comes as Boasberg continues to push back on the CECOT deportations, with the judge expecting the ACLU and Justice Department to meet for a status hearing every two weeks, beginning on Thursday, Aug. 7.
Although Boasberg is the target of this latest complaint, Trump has had to push back against him and several judges who have attempted to stop his agenda by nationwide injunctions for his policies in lower courts. The president received a win on this matter on June 27 after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in his favor to narrow the power of the lower courts, Fox News reported.
"Americans are finally getting what they voted for. No longer will we have rogue judges striking down President Trump's policies across the entire nation. No longer. Today in the 6-3 opinion, Justice [Amy Coney] Barrett correctly holds that the district court lacks authority to enter nationwide or universal injunctions," Trump said at the time.
"These lawless injunctions gave relief to everyone in the world instead of the parties before the court. As the Supreme Court held today, they turned district courts into the imperial judiciary. Active liberal justices, judges have used these injunctions to block virtually all of President Trump's policies," the president continued.
"I was elected on a historic mandate, but in recent months, we've seen a handful of radical left judges effectively try to overrule the rightful powers of the president to stop the American people from getting the policies that they voted for in record numbers," Trump said. Somehow, Boasberg was one of the judges who kept getting assigned to these cases, a fact which has piqued the interest of the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Bondi's decision to file a complaint against Boasberg is a step in the right direction, as his actions may point to a vendetta against Trump's agenda. The U.S. system of checks and balances between the executive and judicial branches is what it was designed to do, and Trump has every right to push back when he believes it's not.
Hall of Famer and Chicago Cubs icon Ryne Sandberg died Monday at the age of 65 after enduring a long battle with cancer, Breitbart reported. This comes after Sandberg announced that he had metastatic prostate cancer.
Sandberg, a Washington State native, was named after New York Yankees pitcher Ryne Duren. Although he began his baseball career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1981, he spent the most seasons with the Cubs.
The team's executive chairman, Tom Ricketts, memorialized the late baseball great in a statement. "Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise," Ricketts said.
"His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire, were hallmarks of his career. He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children, and his role as husband, father, and grandfather," Ricketts added.
Sandberg collected many accolades over the years, which MLB recounted in a post to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. The beloved Cubs second baseman was a five-tool model of consistency in the 1980s and early ’90s, making 10 consecutive All-Star teams and winning 9 straight Gold Glove awards," MLB wrote.
"On June 23, 1984, a national TV audience watched Sandberg hit a pair of game-tying home runs in the 9th and 10th innings off Cardinals closer and future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter. Part of a magical Cubs Postseason run, the game is forever remembered in Chicago as 'The Sandberg Game,'" the post continued.
This was considered Sandberg's most outstanding achievement. "He went on to win the 1984 NL MVP Award. Over 16 seasons, Sandberg slugged 282 home runs, 277 of which were as a second baseman, then a Major League record. He hit 25+ homers five times and stole 30+ bases five times," the MLB account added.
The account noted that Sandberg got his start with the Phillies and would return to manage them over the course of three seasons. Still, it was the Cubs who memorialized Sandberg's greatness, including his storied postseason performance, in a statue that resides outside of Chicago's Wrigley Field.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg.
The beloved Cubs second baseman was a five-tool model of consistency in the 1980s and early ’90s, making 10 consecutive All-Star teams and winning 9 straight Gold Glove awards.
On June 23, 1984, a national TV… pic.twitter.com/KuCazvlnj2
— MLB (@MLB) July 29, 2025
With so many lifetime achievements, it's no surprise that Sandberg was fondly remembered by many in baseball. According to ESPN, his former teammates and opponents alike shared their love and respect for Sandberg, including current Cubs ballplayers like shortstop Dansby Swanson.
"Just such a top-shelf human being. He made such an impact on me, even in my short time of being able to be around him. Just an unbelievable human being and someone that I'm very, very grateful to have met and spent time with, whether it's talking about life or talking about ball," Swanson said. The Cubs' rookie third baseman Matt Shaw also spoke of Sandberg's impact on him.
"We talked about a lot of things, about defense and offense, but we talked about life, too. When he first came up, he struggled a little bit early on and he was like, 'No matter what happens, you just got to keep believing in yourself and keep going,'" Shaw said. "And I definitely take that to heart, and that's something that I definitely think about a lot -- is that belief to just to keep going."
Sandberg's death also caught the attention of former President Barack Obama, who paid tribute in a post to X on Tuesday, according to The Hill. "Hall of Famer and Cubs stalwart Ryne Sandberg wasn’t just a great baseball player — he was a class act who never cheated the game. Everyone in Chicago — including White Sox fans — will miss him deeply," Obama wrote.
Sports legends like Sandberg have so much wisdom to share about life and athletics, and these lessons endure long after they're gone. America lost one of the greats this week, but it appears Sandberg was generous in sharing his knowledge on and off the baseball diamond, and that is the legacy that will remain.
In just the last fiscal year, Democrat Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell charged more than $288,000 on her taxpayer-funded credit card, including transactions in 31 states, multiple foreign trips, and Disney World.
Campbell's office charged a whopping $288,146.26 to state-issued procurement cards, called P-cards, between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Besides the travel expenses, charges for catered office parties were also included.
One of the most egregious abuses of taxpayer dollars was a trip to France that cost $13,627--nearly $9,000 for luxury chauffeur services and over $2,000 for air travel.
The office also spent $10,286 to rent overflow space at a hotel for an annual cyber crimes conference in April and over $1,000 on several occasions for office parties and events.
Campbell's actions have caught the attention of Republican lawmakers in the state, who have decried her liberal use of taxpayer funds for non-necessary items.
According to the Boston Herald, they are complaining that Campbell has spent thousands of dollars on hotels in Washington, D.C. since President Donald Trump took office as her office has repeatedly sued the Trump administration over his policy advancements.
Campbell claims that she is fighting against Trump's "illegal" attacks on people's rights and freedoms and said her spending was a "small price to pay" in order to do so.
She is also spending a sizeable chunk of her $83 million overall budget fighting Trump in the courts--spending that is mirrored by many of the other Democrat state AGs.
Republicans are further angered that she has not completed an ordered audit and seems to be dragging her feet.
Maybe that's because she knows what the auditors will find and is trying to delay the inevitable as long as possible to avoid accountability.
Many taxpayers have had to cut back on their expenses in the wake of inflation that has nearly doubled the costs in some sectors of the economy, so it is especially painful to be stuck footing the bill for lawmakers who feel no similar compunction to keep their own expenses in check.
Furthermore, all across the United States, billions and billions of dollars are being spent by states and the federal government to fight each other.
Staffing costs, court costs, travel costs, and all of it paid for by the tax dollars of the citizens of the United States.
It seems like such a waste of time, money and resources that could be going to building up our great country rather than tearing it down.
The entertainment world was saddened this week by the news that a well-loved reality star had died.
As People reports, Junior Edwards, a well-known Louisiana alligator hunter and co-star of Swamp People on the History Channel, passed away, a development revealed by his grandson.
The news of Junior’s demise came in a Facebook post penned by his grandson, “Lil” Willie Edwards, on Saturday.
The younger Edwards wrote, “Rest easy, pawpaw. I know [you’re] probably running your hoop nets or doing something crazy inside those pearly gates.”
He continued his heartfelt message by adding, “You will be extremely missed pawpaw. We love you more than anything. Until we meet again.”
Specifics surrounding Junior’s death -- including his exact age -- remained unclear.
Willie Edwards did reveal, however, that his grandfather had suffered from declining health in recent months, noting on July 6, “Well guys, those of you that don’t know, my grandpa has been dealing with some health issues” and asking fans to “keep him in y’alls thoughts and prayers please…we need a miracle.”
Swamp People has been a staple on the History Channel for an impressive run of 15 seasons, with the program following the exploits of a Louisiana-based family comprised of the descendants of French Canadian refugees who have made alligator hunting their preferred method of making their living.
Junior was a regular cast member on the show between 2010 and 2015, returning to the program in 2021 for season 12.
Among those mourning his passing was Swamp People star Ashley Jones, who took to Instagram to declare, as Parade noted, “The world lost a legend! Mr. Junior Edwards passed away! Please be in prayer for the family! He was one of the greatest alligator hunters there is! He was a real hardcore outdoorsman!”
Ronnie Adams, another Swamp People cast member, also weighed in, writing, “Praying for the Edwards in this time of need!!! Rest in peace Junior!!!”
A fan of the show also took time to comment on the news, writing, “My sincere condolences…Though I never met Mr. Junior Edwards, I almost felt like I knew him through his time on Swamp People. He was a good, hard-working man, and we all know he had a heart of gold after that episode with the otter! RIP.”
Though Junior Edwards had not appeared on Swamp People in recent years, it is clear that his impact on viewers remains.
One online commentator offered recollections of a humble but honorable man, writing, “Junior Edwards was a hell of a man. Not just an amazing alligator hunter and trapper but a family man who took care of his family and provided for them,” and in the end, that is a legacy to which everyone should aspire.
President Donald Trump said the Supreme Court's ruling on presidential immunity in his favor last year could now benefit former President Barack Obama, Fox News reported. Trump told reporters Friday that Obama "owes me big" as it comes to light that the former president was the "ringleader" of Russiagate.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently declassified a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence report that was compiled in 2020. It discussed the Intelligence Community Assessment of 2017 about supposed Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The conclusion was that the since-debunked Steele dossier was unreliable and that the entire scandal was an "internet rumor." Nevertheless, Obama encouraged the intelligence community to proceed with their investigation based on that false information just weeks before Trump was sworn into office.
These new revelations could potentially lead to criminal charges against Obama. However, his position as president at the time means that he will likely escape any ramifications, and it's all thanks to Trump's fight at the high court.
According to The Hill, the Supreme Court ruled in July 2024 that the office of the president confers broad immunities from criminal prosecution. When asked by the press about presidential immunity, Trump didn't hesitate in acknowledging that it would be greatly beneficial for Obama. "It probably helps him a lot," Trump told reporters.
"Probably helps a lot. The immunity ruling, but it doesn't help the people around him at all. But it probably helps him a lot," Trump added.
"He's done criminal acts, there’s no question about it. But he has immunity, and it probably helps him a lot... he owes me big, Obama owes me big." Trump said.
Reporter Eric Daughtry shared a video with a biting caption against Obama. "JUST IN: President Trump on if Barack Hussein Obama can be criminally prosecuted for the Trump-Russia Treasonous Conspiracy hoax," Daughtry wrote on his post to X, formerly Twitter, on Friday.
🚨 JUST IN: President Trump on if Barack Hussein Obama can be criminally prosecuted for the Trump-Russia Treasonous Conspiracy hoax
"He has immunity, it probably helps him a lot. He OWES ME BIG. Obama owes me big."
"But it DOESN'T help the people around him AT ALL." pic.twitter.com/WE8nRQkoT3
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 25, 2025
In a statement released by the former president on Tuesday, Obama said that calling him the "ringleader" of Russiagate was among Trump's "bizarre allegations," which he firmly denies. "Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response," Obama said in a statement through spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush.
"But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," Rodenbush added.
"Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes," the spokesperson claimed. Meanwhile, Gabbard stated that "deep state obstacles" had been put in place, hindering the release of the information.
"There are a lot of deep state actors still here within Washington. President Trump wants us to find the truth," Gabbard said Wednesday on Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime. "I want to find that truth. The American people deserve the truth, and they deserve accountability," she added.
The Russigate investigation should never have been allowed to go on with such questionable evidence. Obama may not face criminal prosecution in this case, but as Trump said, there are plenty around him who were in on this and don't have the same benefit who may now face justice.